Bangsat in the Indonesian Language

Halo semuanya. Apa kabar? Ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about the meaning of the word [bangsat] in the Indonesian language, and as always, we will watch scenes from movies where this word is spoken.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page. 

If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.

So, let's talk about this!

The Meaning of Bangsat

[Bangsat] is considered a swearing word in the Indonesian language. But the literal meaning of [bangsat] is bedbugs or a small reddish-brown parasitic insect that usually bites the skin of humans or sleeping animals.

In the Indonesian language, [bangsat] is usually used as a swearing word. It means asshole or jerk.

How to Pronounce Bangsat

Here is how you pronounce [bangsat] in bahasa Indonesia.

Next, let's watch examples where Indonesians use the word [bangsat].

Examples of Bangsat In Use

In this section, I will gather examples from movies, videos, comics, and whatnot where the phrase [bangsat] is spoken to better understand the meaning and how to use [bangsat] correctly.

The first clip we are about to watch is taken from a movie called Devil on Top (2021). Let's watch the scene below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pak Guru Iman (@pakguruiman)

The conversation from the scene with English translations is as follows.

Sarah: Ngga..

Angga: Ya? (Yes?)

Sarah: Jujur ya. Menurut lo, gue gimana sebagai bos? (Please be honest. How do you see me as a boss?)

Angga: Jujur, nih? (To be honest?)

Sarah: Jujur lah. Loh? Emang gue jelek sebagai bos? (Yeah, be honest with me. Why? You think I am a bad boss?)

Angga: Sar, lo itu pekerja keras dengan tekad yang kuat. Dan lo orang yang paling tangguh yang gue kenal. Tapi, lo tu bangsat. Lo bangsat karena lo pengen memotivasi karyawan lo. Pengen karyawan lo itu maju dan bisa diandelin. Tapi masalahnya, lo ngelakuinnya dengan ngasih tekanan, ngasih rasa takut, bukan dukungan. (Sar, you are a hard worker with a strong will. And you are the toughest person that I've ever known. But you are a jerk. You are a jerk because you want to motivate your employees. You want your employees to be good and be reliable. But the problem is, you were doing it by pressuring them, giving fear, and not by giving appreciation.)

Sarah is Angga's boss, and Sarah is known as a strict boss and a disciplined person, but most of her subordinates hate her. She asked Angga about his opinion of her as a boss, and then Angga said,

Tapi, lo tu bangsat. (But you are a jerk.)

In this sentence, [bangsat] is not used in its literal meaning but as a swearing word. Sometimes you will hear Indonesian people use [bangsat] in its literal meaning. For example, in this sentence,

Kasur ini banyak bangsatnya deh! (There are a lot of bedbugs in this bed!)

But you will find mostly [bangsat] is used as a swearing word.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Jujur] = honest.

[Jujur ya] is usually used when you want to say something honestly or when you want someone to say something honest to you.

[Lo] is informal for [Anda] = you. For more about this, you can read this article, Lo in the Indonesian Language.

[Gue] is informal for [saya] = I. For more about this, you can read this article, Gue in the Indonesian Language.

[Nih] in this scene doesn't have any meaning at all. It's a phatic expression.

[Loh] is usually used when you are surprised about something.

[Jelek] = ugly, but in this sentence [emang gue jelek sebagai boss], [jelek] means bad.

[Tu] is short for [itu] = that. [Lo tu bangsat] is short for [lo itu bangsat = you are a jerk]. [Tu] in this sentence functions as [be] in English.

[Pengen] is the colloquial way of saying [ingin] = want. Some Indonesians write it as [pingin], and it has the same meaning. [Pingin] or [pengen] is informal, [ingin] is formal.

[Diandelin] is the colloquial way of saying [diandalkan] = can be counted on.

[Ngelakuinnya] is the colloquial way of saying [melakukannya] = to do something with..

[Ngasih] is the colloquial way of saying [memberi] = to give.

[Tekanan] = pressure.

[Rasa takut] = fear.

[Dukungan] = support, appreciation.

The second clip is taken from a movie called Gundala (2019). Let's watch the scene below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pak Guru Iman (@pakguruiman)

The transcript from the scene with English translations is as follows.

Sancaka’s Father: Cukup! Cukup, cukup. Bangsat! (Enough! Enough, enough. Fuck!)

A Man: Berhenti! (Stop!)

In this scene, Sancaka's father tries to help the guard, but then the guard hits him. That's why then he said this swearing word.

Bangsat! (Fuck!)

So, as you can see, [bangsat] is mostly used as a swearing word in the Indonesian language and is used very little in its literal sense.

     Read also: Ujug-ujug in the Indonesian Language

I think that's going to wrap it up for this article. If I find another scene where this word [bangsat] is spoken, Insha Allah, I will update this article again.

Thank you for reading this article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.